This medieval city looks like it was taken straight out of a fairy tale, with its bustling market square, spiralling Gothic towers, castles and legends of dragons. Explore the city's narrow backstreets, hidden courtyards and the network of underground cellars and tunnels. Krakow is known as the cultural capital of Poland through its love of music, poetry and theatre. After years of occupation and struggle, Krakow has emerged a proud city with a strong sense of identity, yet has still maintained its artistic and fun-loving soul.

As testified by epic movies like Shogun and Ran, Nagoya City is pure history, centred around Nagoya Castle. It was Expo 2005 that put Nagoya on the world map. Post-Expo, Nagoya is positioning itself both as a centre for hi-tech industries and as a tourist gateway. Toyota Cars, old and new famed ceramics, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dolls and robots castles, feudal villas and farmhouses pearls, and a plethora of shopping and nightlife spots await you in this not-so-obvious choice of a Japanese destination.

Rose fragrance fills the air in Taif, a scenic Saudi town whose fertile lands are dotted with abundant rose and fruit orchards. Nestled amidst the Shafa Mountain range not far from Mecca, Taif historically used to be a major commercial hub for countries of the Arabian Peninsula but has now transformed into a popular summer holiday destination with well-developed infrastructure, magnificent natural beauty, and a mild climate, in pleasant contrast to much of the country.

The city of Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria and one of the best-preferred travel destinations, not only because of its huge cultural and archaeological heritage, but also due to its central location, offering a variety of tourist attractions and activities. Due to the diverse opprotunities for tourism, the city has been listed in a number of prestigious ranks, among which European Best Destinations 2016. In 2019 Plovdiv will be European Capital of Culture.